THE MISS RWANDA beauty pageant has for years been fighting for empowerment of young women as part of its continued efforts  to play an impactful role for them to shine towards a bright future.

The pageant’s benefits would vary from creating platforms for young women, to endorsements that beauty queens win from the beauty contest.

The endorsements continue to go bigger edition after edition as the pageant continues to extend opportunities, not just to crown winners, but to also ensure each contestant can benefit from the platform in a way or another.

To ensure a better future for young women who participate in Miss Rwanda, the Miss Rwanda Organisation in April extended its empowerment drive for young women through ensuring access to education, among others.

Through its existing partnership with the University of Kigali, the top 20 finalists for the Miss Rwanda 2021 were offered free scholarships to study at the university.

Each of the 20 finalists was given a chance to study either undergraduate or Masters’ programmes at the university free of charge until they finish their studies.

Each of the finalists was allowed to continue at the University on condition that they would commence their studies in any of the programs available at the university, effective this year’s academic year.

However, only nine of them are now studying at the university. They include Linda Nkusi Uwankusi, Larissa Keza Teta, Nathalie Musango, Hense Teta Musana ‘Procurements’, Marie Paul Kayirebwa ‘Business marketing’, Sonia Ishimwe ‘Economics’, Akaliza Hope ‘Procurements’, Sonia Kagame Uwase ‘Marketing’ and Esther Ingabire ‘Law’.

Miss Rwanda built the partnership with the university to ensure that all the finalists get access to education but 11 of them are not studying at the university, as some were already admitted by other universities, local and foreign, others failed to find their desired studies at the university while others like Miss Rwanda 2021 Grace Ingabire and first runner-up Amanda Akaliza both finished their university studies in the United States.  

Hope for a future

A number of the scholarship beneficiaries could have missed out on a chance to pursue university studies mainly due to lack of tuition fees, which for many seem to be a major challenge.

Hense Teta Musana graduated her high school studies in 2018 but waited for a chance to go to university this year when she was offered a free scholarship at University of Kigali.

She knew Miss Rwanda was a platform that would help her dream big for her future but little did she know that the platform would be a pathway for her university studies.

She contested for the crown for the first time in 2020 but luck was not on her side.

When she tried this year, her ‘never give up spirit’ paid off. Making it to top 20 finalists earned her a free scholarship on top of other opportunities including becoming the brand ambassador for Bank of Kigali. She also became an entrepreneur after BK pledged whopping Rwf24 million to finance the beauty queen’s project after it emerged ‘Most Innovative Project’ at the beauty contest.

Musana emphasised that Miss Rwanda has been an incredible pathway to becoming who she is now but mentions being offered a free scholarship as one of the biggest opportunities she got through the pageant.  

"I grew up with a dream of paying my own tuition fees and make my mother proud instead of being a burden to her. This is really a big opportunity I don’t take for granted,” she said.  

"With this scholarship, I want to make Miss Rwanda proud and the same goes to the university that admitted me. I always try to be an example to others and I don’t want to leave a bad reputation for myself and the Miss Rwanda image,” she added.

For Marie Paul Kayirebwa, studying University was an impossible dream for her until she was admitted to study at University of Kigali free of charge.

"My sibling could not afford to pay tuition fees for me to study at university and at the same time take care of the family. I thank God that, through the Miss Rwanda platform, I was able to go back to school so I can better prepare for my future,” said the 2017 high school graduate.

Parents upbeat

Parents, on the other hand, were excited to see their daughters go to school thanks to Miss Rwanda’s platform.

Musana’s mother, for instance, appreciated to Miss Rwanda for creating a platform to empower young women through education, because her daughter has been struggling to get tuition fees to the university since she completed her high school studies.

"I am so happy to see her going to university thanks to Miss Rwanda. She always told me that she wanted to study university. I am really excited to see  her dreams come true,” she said.

"The money that we were supposed to pay for her tuition fees can do a lot of other  things that can benefit the family,” she added.

Meanwhile, Miss Rwanda management has committed to extend its empowerment drive among more young women and are convinced education remains their priority on its empowerment agenda.

 "Education is the key to girl empowerment process,” Nimwiza told The New Times.